Various types of container closures, such as those used for sealing bottled soft drinks, are known in the art. One such commonly used closure is formed of plastic and includes a circular top wall portion and an internally threaded depending skirt portion which threads onto an associated container. For improved sealing, many such closures include a liner positioned on the inside surface of the top wall.
Examples of such closures and methods of making such closures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,205,426 to McBride et al. and 4,497,765 to Wilde et al., hereby incorporated by reference.
Soft drink manufacturers and bottlers presently use closures and closure liners for promotional campaigns. Container closures and liners have been used as redemption pieces for reduced pricing or rebates, and sweepstakes or game prize pieces, in many known promotional campaigns.
In a typical promotional application, a logo or other representation for prize redemption, such as a prize amount award amount or item, is printed or transferred onto the inside of the closure cap or liner. Such prize pieces, however, must be redeemed through either the retailer or directly through the soft drink manufacturer or bottler. While this type of promotional campaign, for the most part, is effective and is well accepted by the consuming public, it does not provide the consumer with the excitement of being an on-the-spot, instant winner.
In many promotional campaigns, it is desirable to provide the player, i.e., the soft drink purchaser, "instant gratification". As such, the promotional or gaming piece itself must have a value, preferably in cash, or otherwise instantly redeemable. In such a promotional campaign, it is most preferable to provide a closure cap which can contain or store the promotional piece within the cap. For example, as part of the promotion, cash incentives can be packaged in the closure. The incentives can be packaged within the closure in a promotional piece compartment to prevent pilferage when the containers are stored on a food market shelf.
In such a promotional campaign, it may also be desirable to provide a closure without the promotional piece with cash incentive, but instead, having a message to urge the purchaser to "please try again". Such a closure can be provided with a simulated promotional piece compartment, securely molded to an inside of the closure, without adversely affecting the ability of the closure to retain a seal with the container. The simulated promotional piece compartment advantageously appears identical to the promotional piece compartment when viewed from outside of a closed container. There is a need for providing an economical, effective and reliable method for installing the simulated promotional piece compartment within the closure.